egg allergy - tips (possibly OT)

Just found out our 15 month old twins have an allergy to eggs. Doesn't
look overly severe at this point, but we're doing a strict elimination
diet for them, and are hoping they'll outgrow it (We don't have a
history of allergies in either family so hope that the chances are good.)
I've been doing a bit of reading online and have coem to the conclusion
that I should do an elimination diet as well, to be extra sure. The
girls eat solids regularly but have been sick with other things lately
(stomach flu, times two just isn't any fun and it's been on and off for
nearly two months!). On a good day, they nurse morning, afternoon,
bedtime, and then might nurse once over night. When they are sick or I'm
hanging around home (I WOH most days), they'll nurse anywhere from 2-3
times more.

Has anyone else dealt with egg allergies? looking for eggs, egg yolk,
etc, on labels is straightforward -- but are there other inregidents
were should be wary of? (We're ordering checklists and 'hot to read a
label' cards to help but in the meantime, I thought I'd ask here for
real life examples).

I really hope they do grow out of it, and that I don't find the
transition too hard. Eggs are so prevalent here that it's going to take
a lot of work; and my girls love nursing (and it's the best way to quiet
them at bedtime and cuddle two at once, and it's nice for mama too)

My Dh is a bit grumpy at the thought of eliminating egg from my diet
because it means he'll have to too, atleast for most meals. He's fine
with the rationale but implementing things may be a bit difficult for
him (we've survived the past 15-20 months by having a mix of fresh and
prepared foods, and the latter usually have some sort of egg to bind,
preserve,etc).

Thanks in advance for the information and support!
-Barbara-

"Ducky Lawyer" wrote in message
news
Just found out our 15 month old twins have an allergy to eggs. Doesn't
look overly severe at this point, but we're doing a strict elimination
diet for them, and are hoping they'll outgrow it (We don't have a
history of allergies in either family so hope that the chances are good.)
I've been doing a bit of reading online and have coem to the conclusion
that I should do an elimination diet as well, to be extra sure. The
girls eat solids regularly but have been sick with other things lately
(stomach flu, times two just isn't any fun and it's been on and off for
nearly two months!). On a good day, they nurse morning, afternoon,
bedtime, and then might nurse once over night. When they are sick or I'm
hanging around home (I WOH most days), they'll nurse anywhere from 2-3
times more.

I am dealing with some allergies in my DD as well, although not to egg, but
I have found a great book at my local library called *Freedom from Allergy
Cookbook* by Ron Greenberg, MD and Angela Nori. I am thinking about trying
to find a copy of it to buy. It has some good pages on what to avoid, as
well as recipes, etc. So I have copied some of the information here for
you.


Has anyone else dealt with egg allergies? looking for eggs, egg yolk,
etc, on labels is straightforward -- but are there other inregidents
were should be wary of? (We're ordering checklists and 'hot to read a
label' cards to help but in the meantime, I thought I'd ask here for
real life examples).

Other names for egg on labels (according to the book mentioned above):
Albumin, conalbamin, globulin, livetin, mucoid, ovomucoid, ovalbumin,
ovovitellin, vitellin and yolk.

Some of the places to check for egg that you might not think include:
root beer, wine (many are cleared with egg white), baking powder - check
labels, hamburger patties, marshmallow



I really hope they do grow out of it, and that I don't find the
transition too hard. Eggs are so prevalent here that it's going to take
a lot of work; and my girls love nursing (and it's the best way to quiet
them at bedtime and cuddle two at once, and it's nice for mama too)

My Dh is a bit grumpy at the thought of eliminating egg from my diet
because it means he'll have to too, atleast for most meals. He's fine
with the rationale but implementing things may be a bit difficult for
him (we've survived the past 15-20 months by having a mix of fresh and
prepared foods, and the latter usually have some sort of egg to bind,
preserve,etc).

Some ideas for alternative binding and levening agents (again from the book
mentioned above):

1) Commercial egg replacers (read labels as some contain egg)
2) Tofu - 1/4 cup for each egg. Good for binding
3) Gelatin - soften 1 tsp of gelatin in 3 Tbsp boiling water. Stir until
dissolved. Place in freezer. Take out when thickened and beat until
frothy. Equals one egg. Use as a binder.
4) 1 tsp baking powder for each egg substituted for leavening.
5) 1 tsp vinegar for each egg in a cake recipe for leavening.
6) Cornstarch, arrowroot, tapioca and potato flour, slippery elm, soy flour
etc as thickening agents.
7) 1/3 cup soy flour and 2/3 cup water. Blend and heat in double boiler
for 1 hour. Whip in 1 Tbsp oil and 1/4 tsp salt. Store in refrigerator.
Use to bind cookies.
8) Boil 1 Tbsp flaxseed in 1 cup water for 15 minutes. Add to muffins, etc
as a binder.
9) Combine 1 Tbsp psyllium seed husk with 3 Tbsp water and let sit briefly.
Good binder.




Thanks in advance for the information and support!
-Barbara-


I hope this helps a bit. I am currently eating no dairy, soy, wheat, corn,
chicken, pork, tomatoes or citrus, so I know it can be tough to figure out
what not to eat, and what you *can* eat once you figure out what you can't!
But it gets easier. My husband and I find that we are actually eating much
healthier, as we can't rely on the pre-processed foods for quick meals.

Good luck,
Stacey

Gorgon Park wrote:
an immensely helpful post!


I hope this helps a bit. I am currently eating no dairy, soy, wheat, corn,
chicken, pork, tomatoes or citrus, so I know it can be tough to figure out
what not to eat, and what you *can* eat once you figure out what you can't!
But it gets easier. My husband and I find that we are actually eating much
healthier, as we can't rely on the pre-processed foods for quick meals.
Thanks for the information and support. I do hope we'll be eating
healthier, too. My diet is generally pretty good, DH relies on processed
foods a bit more, and our dinners are often frozen pastas or pies thrown
in the oven so we'll have to watch that. Will probably make up our own
ready to heat meals for the freezer.

Cheers,
Barbara

"Barbara Warner" wrote in message
able.rogers.com...


Thanks for the information and support. I do hope we'll be eating
healthier, too. My diet is generally pretty good, DH relies on processed
foods a bit more, and our dinners are often frozen pastas or pies thrown
in the oven so we'll have to watch that. Will probably make up our own
ready to heat meals for the freezer.


Crock pot meals are great too, I find. I can make up dinner in the morning,
it cooks all day and is ready whenever we want to eat. The only downside is
that we get hungrier earlier from the lovely smells coming from the kitchen!
Most crock pot recipes are easy to double, so you can have dinner and have
enough to freeze for a future meal.

Stacey

"Gorgon Park" wrote in message
...

"Ducky Lawyer" wrote in message
news
Just found out our 15 month old twins have an allergy to eggs.

Some of the places to check for egg that you might not think include:
root beer, wine (many are cleared with egg white), baking powder - check
labels, hamburger patties, marshmallow

what is it in baking powder that should be avoided?
--
elizabeth (in australia)
DS - born 20-aug-02

"elizabeth emerald" wrote in message
...

"Gorgon Park" wrote in message
...

"Ducky Lawyer" wrote in message
news
Just found out our 15 month old twins have an allergy to eggs.

Some of the places to check for egg that you might not think include:
root beer, wine (many are cleared with egg white), baking powder - check
labels, hamburger patties, marshmallow

what is it in baking powder that should be avoided?
--
elizabeth (in australia)
DS - born 20-aug-02


The book I have just says that "baking powder may contain egg (check the
label)".

Sorry I can't be more help.
Stacey

"Ducky Lawyer" wrote in message
news
Just found out our 15 month old twins have an allergy to eggs. Doesn't
look overly severe at this point, but we're doing a strict elimination
diet for them, and are hoping they'll outgrow it (We don't have a
history of allergies in either family so hope that the chances are good.)
I've been doing a bit of reading online and have come to the conclusion
that I should do an elimination diet as well, to be extra sure. The
girls eat solids regularly but have been sick with other things lately
(stomach flu, times two just isn't any fun and it's been on and off for
nearly two months!). On a good day, they nurse morning, afternoon,
bedtime, and then might nurse once over night. When they are sick or I'm
hanging around home (I WOH most days), they'll nurse anywhere from 2-3
times more.

Has anyone else dealt with egg allergies? looking for eggs, egg yolk,
etc, on labels is straightforward -- but are there other ingredients
were should be wary of? (We're ordering checklists and 'hot to read a
label' cards to help but in the meantime, I thought I'd ask here for
real life examples).

I really hope they do grow out of it, and that I don't find the
transition too hard. Eggs are so prevalent here that it's going to take
a lot of work; and my girls love nursing (and it's the best way to quiet
them at bedtime and cuddle two at once, and it's nice for mama too)

My Dh is a bit grumpy at the thought of eliminating egg from my diet
because it means he'll have to too, at least for most meals. He's fine
with the rationale but implementing things may be a bit difficult for
him (we've survived the past 15-20 months by having a mix of fresh and
prepared foods, and the latter usually have some sort of egg to bind,
preserve,etc).

Thanks in advance for the information and support!
-Barbara-


sorry about my late post, i was trying to find time to post everything i
wanted to say.

it's interesting that both twins have the same allergy. are they identical
or fraternal?
DS has an allergy to egg. he is 18 months. i am finding it very hard to cope
with at the moment. DH's family have lots of strong non-food allergies.

he also doesn't have a strong reaction at the moment. he gets hives around
his mouth & sometimes urticaria (sp?) on his body where it touches. we
also are suspecting some beans & additive 1422 (but are currently
eliminating
& about to re-introduce - these don't produce hives, just urticaria where
they touch his body). we have an allergist appointment on 17th. we have had
to wait 3 months as there are only 2 allergists anywhere near here.
depending on how i find the allergist (i've heard some negative feedback
about her) i'm going to make an appt with a leading research paediatric
allergist at a hospital in the city her & also a homeopathic allergist.

our gp has told us & i have read heaps online that for DS to outgrow the
allergy, he can't be exposed to any egg, even the tiniest amount, as the
body will still respond to it. also i've learnt that even though DS has a
mild reaction now, the next reaction could easily be an anaphylactic (life
threatening) one. both of these reasons are why i have banned eggs totally
here. the doctor also said to delay nuts until 5yrs.

i've managed to modify our diet quite well. we haven't been big on prepared
food since DS was born, so that wasn't an issue. i won't cook with or buy
eggs. so if DH wants an egg thing, he'll have to go somewhere else to get
it. luckily eggs are not an essential part of DS's diet as they can easily
be replaced with other things. but not so lucky is that eggs are in sooooooo
many things you try to buy.

stacey gave some names for eggs in the other post, but haven't come across
those names in many of the products i buy. except some shampoos! you need to
check them. i am trying to find out what other non-food products have eggs
in them but haven't had any luck yet.

there are 2 additives that have egg in them. they are 161c (cryptoaxanthian)
and the non-soy version of 322 (lecithin). so if it just says "lecithin" you
don't know if it is soy or egg. they can also be listed at E161c & E322.
another one is "emulsifier". this is a very general name that can be any one
of many additives & it *may* be the egg version of 322. so you need to avoid
"emulsifier" as well. and that general term is in soooo many things. so
there are heaps of things we are avoiding when we don't really need to but
we can't know.
we don't avoid things which say "may contain trace" as our gp advised
against it as that would rule out too many foods and DS doesn't have a
severe allergy.

some things that definitely have egg in them are cakes, most biscuits, fresh
pasta, some ordinary pastas, most baked stuff, some pastry, some hot cross
buns & other products with glazes, mayonnaise and loads of other stuff i
can't even think of at the moment.

eating out is a problem. most restaurants/take aways/cafes wouldn't know if
they had hidden eggs in things. and sometimes the staff wouldn't have a clue
if ordinary egg is used in it. basically i take the view that if i don't
know
the exact ingredients, we don't eat it, so there are only a few specific
places i buy food out. websites are handy for finding out exact ingredients
of larger chain stores like mcdonalds, bakers delight, nz natural icecream
(you might not have the last 2 where you are but you get the idea). often
they list all the ingredients of their products on their websites. don't
rely on the staff as i asked bakers delight head office what has egg in it
as their website was down & they said they don't use eggs unless it is in a
kosher product which is clearly marked. when i got there, they had a few
ordinary products with mayonnaise so she didn't even realise about the
hidden egg factor.

i find it really difficult at playgroup & mothers group. kids are always
walking around with stuff & i have to be vigilant to stop DS grabbing &
eating stuff off the other kids. i can't relax & i think i look like some
crazy fanatical mother.

i had meeting at my house and everyone brought morning tea - lots of cake &
stuff with egg in it. everyone was extra careful not to drop stuff. but the
next day DS was watching a video & i saw he had the hives around his mouth.
he hadn't been eating anything. i don't know if it is something someone
dropped or if it was something else. i've found it's easier if i make the
food yourself at my own house. no-one complains as they don't need to bother
cooking/buying something.

there is a yahoo list - pofak which is for parents of food allergic kids.
they are severely allergic though & it's really high volume so i don't
contribute there just skim occasionally.

feel free to email me if you want. i'm happy to chat to you or anyone else
about this as it
really gets to me sometimes. i can't wait until DS grows out of it as i am
finding it really hard & stressful. i hope it doesn't cause you too many
problems.
--
elizabeth (in australia)
DS - born 20-aug-02

elizabeth emerald wrote:
sorry about my late post, i was trying to find time to post everything i
wanted to say.

Thanks for your informative post, Elizabeth. I wanted to email you
directly but couldn't figure out your 'real' address behind the spam
block you posted from. Can you drop me a line at my address above? Thanks!

it's interesting that both twins have the same allergy. are they identical
or fraternal?

THey're identical, so it's not surprising to us. Though I guess
identical twins *could* have different allergies, these particular
babies (toddlers? sigh, they grow up so quickly!) are identical and have
been exposed to all the same foods, breastmilk and environment,
generally, so it makes sense to us.The girls had different reactions to
the egg (Clara having a much more obvious and more severe reaction, but
J did react, too), and both tested positive for an egg allergy.

DS has an allergy to egg. he is 18 months. i am finding it very hard to cope
with at the moment. DH's family have lots of strong non-food allergies.

he also doesn't have a strong reaction at the moment. he gets hives around
his mouth & sometimes urticaria (sp?) on his body where it touches. we
also are suspecting some beans & additive 1422 (but are currently
eliminating
& about to re-introduce - these don't produce hives, just urticaria where
they touch his body). we have an allergist appointment on 17th. we have had
to wait 3 months as there are only 2 allergists anywhere near here.
depending on how i find the allergist (i've heard some negative feedback
about her) i'm going to make an appt with a leading research paediatric
allergist at a hospital in the city her & also a homeopathic allergist.
Huh. Keep me in the loop if you find out anything. We didn't have to
wait at all for an allergist - but we're in Toronto which is both the
provincial capital and the largest city by population in the country,
and generally have access to most if not all medical specialties. It
helped that our family doctor has been practicing here for over 25 years
and knows the allergist personally; they seem to be of the same vintage
as my mom would say!
I was kind of surprised at how fast we got in, actually. They girls
reacted to eggs at Sunday brunch, we got in to see the family doc on
Monday afternoon and the girls were at the allergists by Wednesday
morning.
If they ever have a serious attack, we're going to bypass the local
hosptial and just take them directly to Sick Kids' Hospital downtown,
since we'd prefer they get treated by people with pediatric specialities
(and by a BF friendly hospital, though the local hospital is pretty good
BF issues as well).



our gp has told us & i have read heaps online that for DS to outgrow the
allergy, he can't be exposed to any egg, even the tiniest amount, as the
body will still respond to it. also i've learnt that even though DS has a
mild reaction now, the next reaction could easily be an anaphylactic (life
threatening) one. both of these reasons are why i have banned eggs totally
here. the doctor also said to delay nuts until 5yrs.

I hadn't heard about also delaying nuts until much older but that's my
intention anyway. Dh doesn't like nuts and I can eat nuts when I'm out
(at work, lunches, whatever) so I don't mind a nut free house.


i've managed to modify our diet quite well. we haven't been big on prepared
food since DS was born, so that wasn't an issue. i won't cook with or buy
eggs. so if DH wants an egg thing, he'll have to go somewhere else to get
it. luckily eggs are not an essential part of DS's diet as they can easily
be replaced with other things. but not so lucky is that eggs are in sooooooo
many things you try to buy.
Yes, that's what we're quickly learning.
(Snip helpful info additives to keep an eye out for, struggling to
get truly egg-free foods, etc).

I'm glad you mentioned not worrying too mucha bout foods which may
contain traces -- it seems all of the bread products (bread, english
muffins, etc) at our local store are marked "may contain traces of egg
or egg products". WE imagine this is because thye're made on the same
equipment as food with eggs (such as baked goods). By and large we make
our own bread in a breadmaker at home but do buy sliced bread for my
sandwiches, for guests (DH's relatives are coming over for lunch
tomorrow and DH is offering a selection of meats, cheeses, condiments,
etc., on sandwich bread).

The issue of not knowing how vigilant or knowledgable restaurant staff
will be, is a big one for us. We were mulling over a trip this spring
(hence the vacation thread) but since the diagnosis, we have changed our
minds. WE just don't want to put anyone at risk. We may rent a vacation
home from a friend and just cook for ourselves, and eat predictable
foods if we go out. This just means we'll be able to go on a nice big
vacation if/when the girls outgrow it (or when we're able to explain
things to them properly and have them understand it.)


We are also going to buy a griddle pan and keep it egg-free, so that Dh
can use the regular frying pans for scrambled eggs or whatever egg
products he might have on his own. I'd like to keep them separate just
in case...

Thanks for listening! It's nice to know I'm not alone.

--barbara

Hi-

In case of a "serious" attack, just get to the NEAREST hospital. The
epi-pen usually buys you some time -- maybe 20 minutes for a really
serious reaction -- but it isn't always enough.

If anyone with severe allergies thinks differently, I'd welcome the
voice of experience.

--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.

"Jennifer from Colorado" wrote in message
...
On 16 Mar 2004 12:22:05 GMT, (Beth Kevles) wrote:


Hi-

In case of a "serious" attack, just get to the NEAREST hospital. The
epi-pen usually buys you some time -- maybe 20 minutes for a really
serious reaction -- but it isn't always enough.

If anyone with severe allergies thinks differently, I'd welcome the
voice of experience.

Nope, I agree with you completely. And allergic reactions get more
severe with subsequent exposure. My first allergic reaction to peanuts
manifested itself with a rash on my chest and slightly swollen lips.
The second one nearly killed me.

Barbara-watch for behaviors like playing with their tongues or ears.
One of my first symptoms when I've had a trace of something I'm
allergic to is an itching at the back of my throat or in my ears. I
will find myself rubbing my tongue against the top and back of my
mouth trying to "scratch" it.


Jennifer from Colorado
edd 3/15/04 -yesterday!

good luck with the impending delivery!
--
elizabeth (in australia)
DS - born 20-aug-02